“Look, one other thing. I know the big guy doesn’t trust me. But you should know, they’re planning a big strike to some underground lair in the eastern quadrant of the Web. Over by KoKo Beans Gift Shop.”

Jhamal’s and my eyes meet. That’s near where our people are hiding.

“Eh,” Jhamal butts in. “What sort of strike? Did they say when?”

“All I know is, they’ve found something or someone they’ve been looking for and the plan was to smoke it out. Get down there, see what’s what. But then you escaped from prison, and, well, that’s sort of taken over the priority for now.”

They’ve discovered something? It’s gotta be the place everyone went into hiding. That bit of news appears to warm Jhamal up some. He thanks him.

“Thanks for everything,” I say to Grag. “You’re free to go.”

“What?” Grag asks.

“Look, if you’re making the Chancellor’s life harder, I’m not gonna stop you. Thank the Macazi when you see them.”

“N-no way, really?” The creases around his eyes take years off his appearance. He reminds me of Tasha, caught in the crosshairs of a war that truly has nothing to do with him. “My mom has been worried sick, I’m sure. I give her her medicine every afternoon. It’s our thing.”

“Go to her. Show Bri the spots on the map. Then bounce. Maybe we’ll link again under different circumstances.”

He blinks for several moments before he’s engrossed in the map with Bri.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jhamal says.

“No, but I thought about what you said. If he is truly working undercover for the Macazi, maybe they’ll learn they have nothing to fear from us.” Allies won’t hurt us in the fight ahead.

“And if he’s not? If he’s really the Chancellor’s pawn.”

My gut says it’s not true, but I’ve weighed that eventuality as well. “Then everyone he knows will know I could have killed him but didn’t. They will underestimate me, think me naive, weak. And perhaps not prepare as diligently as they could.” I meet his stare and pride glints there. “But we will be ready.”

His lips curl in a smile and I study them, remembering the way they felt on me. Could feel… if I… We’re closer somehow and reckless thoughts zip through my mind, courage welling in me. I could kiss him. I could do it. But Zora joins us, and I put some distance between him and me. I don’t want to be all hugged up in a PDA way. That’s rude.

“This news of the Chancellor knowing where our people are is a problem,” she says.

“We need to warn them,” Jhamal says.